1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to data communications, information, and messaging systems and, more particularly, to systems and methods that notify a party of travel status associated with one or more mobile things (MTs).
2. Related Art
For at least the purposes of allowing better preparation and scheduling, for example, with respect to pickups or deliveries, it would be desirable to know, with substantial accuracy, the expected arrival or departure time of a mobile vehicle or thing (for example but not limited to, a bus, automobile, truck, train, ship, plane, aircraft, etc.) with respect to a location.
For example, consider a commercial bus service. A person intending to catch a bus or intending to pick up a friend or relative at the commercial bus station usually calls the bus station to find out the approximate arrival time (information which is oftentimes unavailable or unreliable) and/or arrives at the bus station prior to the scheduled arrival or departure time of the bus, hoping that the bus is not significantly delayed. With knowledge of accurate arrival or departure information, adjustments can be made to one's schedule to avoid having to wait extended periods for a vehicle.
Another example involves school children that ride school buses. The arrival times of school buses at scheduled stops can be significantly affected by many factors, such as maintenance problems, rush hour traffic, congested urban/suburban conditions, and adverse weather. As a result, school children typically wait at bus stops for long periods of time, oftentimes in adverse weather conditions, on unlit street corners, or in hazardous conditions near busy or secluded streets. An advance notification system that would inform the students of the school bus's proximity would be desirable so that students can avoid having to wait for the school bus at the bus stop for extended time periods.
Yet another example involves the commercial overnight package industry, wherein packages are delivered or picked up many times on a tight schedule. Customers oftentimes wait on delivery or pickup of important time-critical packages, not knowing precisely when the delivery or pickup will occur. A notification system that can inform a customer of the precise arrival or departure time of a delivery vehicle with respect to a location would be desirable in order to improve customer service and to allow the customer to better schedule a delivery or pickup of an item.
Still another example involves the airline industry. It is desirable to notify airline workers, such as those who unload baggage from airplanes, when an airplane is about to land or has landed. A notification system can be employed to track the airplane travel status and to send notifications to these workers, when appropriate.
To date, notification systems have been developed to address the foregoing needs and some are known in the art. Mr. M. Kelly Jones, a prolific inventor in this field, obtained numerous patents that describe examples of such notification systems, some of which are as follows: U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,400,020; 5,444,444; 5,623,260; 5,647,010; 5,648,770; 5,657,010; 5,668,543; and 5,400,020; 6,278,936; 6,317,060; 6,363,323; 6,363,254; 6,411,891; 6,415,207; 6,492,912; 6,510,383; and 6,618,668.
A nonexhaustive list of other examples of notification systems is as follows: U.S. Pat. No. 6,006,159 (for a public bus transit system); U.S. Pat. No. 6,374,176 (for a public bus transit system); application Ser. No. 09/163,535, filed on Sep. 30, 1998; U.S. Pat. No. 5,602,739 (for a public transit system); U.S. Pat. No. 5,736,940 (tracking system for buses; notice of impending arrival is described); U.S. Pat. No. 5,808,565 (GPS triggered automatic enunciator for public transportation vehicles that notifies of a stop based upon the location of the vehicle); U.S. Pat. No. 5,955,974 (apparatus carried by a user to notify of arrival so user does not miss stop); U.S. Pat. No. 5,987,377 (dispatch system that determines expected time of arrival and indicates to dispatcher when a vehicle will be late); U.S. Pat. No. 6,124,810 (vehicle apparatus determines when vehicle has arrived or departed from a planned or unplanned stop and communicates such information to a central facility); U.S. Pat. No. 6,137,425 (waiting time prediction system for a public transit system); U.S. Pat. No. 6,178,378 (a vehicle navigation system where a start call, such as by telephone, is made); and U.S. Pat. No. 6,184,802 (system for informing users when a next vehicle will arrive at their boarding site).
Furthermore, a nonexhaustive list of examples of tracking systems is as follows: U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,014,206; 5,113,185; 5,155,689; 5,168,451 (transit system for dispatching vehicles); U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,223,844; 5,243,529 (in-vehicle navigation apparatus with map display); U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,299,132; 5,394,332 (on-board navigation system); U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,398,190; 5,432,841 (system for locating and communicating with mobile vehicles); U.S. Pat. No. 5,448,479; 5,483,454; 5,519,621; 5,587,715 (describes a satellite based tracking system); U.S. Pat. No. 5,594,650 (describes a tracking system with map display capabilities); U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,652,707; 5,724,243 (on board vehicle system tracks location and expected time of arrival); U.S. Pat. No. 5,739,774 (mass transit monitoring system); U.S. Pat. No. 5,760,742 (integrated mobile GIS/GPS/AVL with wireless messaging); U.S. Pat. No. 5,796,365 (uses satellites, vehicle tracking units, and a central computer); U.S. Pat. No. 5,922,040 (vehicle positioning data is exchanged between vehicles and a central processor having a map display); U.S. Pat. No. 5,945,919 (dispatch system tracks vehicles); U.S. Pat. No. 6,191,708 (vehicle location tracking without satellites); U.S. Pat. No. 6,253,148 (tracks buses and communicates waiting times to radio receivers); and U.S. Pat. No. 6,360,101 (cellular phone that displays or sends messages upon its arrival at a predetermined location).
Another tracking system that has been known in the art is the FlightView airline tracking system developed by RLM Software, Inc., which monitors the progress of an airplane and displays its location on a map on a user's computer screen. RLM receives real-time flight data (for example, position and speed) for each flight over North America. This data comes from transponders located on aircraft. The FAA collects the transponder data, adds radar and other information, and supplies it to RLM. This data feed is known in the aviation industry as “ASDI,” which stands for Aircraft Situation Display for Industry and has been made available by the FAA since 1996. RLM processes this data and stores it in the FlightView database. A user can then request the status of any commercial flight from the FlightView system (by providing the airline and flight number), which sends to the user's computer screen a map showing the current position, route, and expected arrival time of the flight.
Sabre, Inc., provides similar map functionality at its Virtually There web site using a system that is apparently based upon the FlightView system.
As can be seen from the aforementioned prior art, the systems that give notice concerning the status of moving things are still evolving and, in some sense, the art is still in a state of infancy. Accordingly, I write and submit this application and invention for the public good to educate and further advance the technology associated with such systems.